ADJUSTMENT IN 1ST-TIME MOTHERS - CHANGES IN MOOD AND MOOD CONTENT DURING THE EARLY POSTPARTUM MONTHS

This longitudinal study investigated changes in the content of mood and in mood levels of primiparous mothers. Interview responses were collected from a core sample of 32 women during pregnancy and at 1, 3, and 16 months postpartum. Correlational analyses of interview mood scores across time indicated consistency in mothers' moods from one time point to the next, although mothers felt considerably better at 3 and 16 months postpartum than at earlier time points. Despite this overall improvement in mood, mothers showed different temporal patterns in relation to the different referent categories. It was found that positive feelings about the infant increased linearly, whereas positive feelings about the spouse showed a U-shaped function, with least positive feelings experienced during the 1st and 3rd postpartum months. Self-directed affects remained relatively constant throughout the 16-month postpartum period. The results are discussed in terms of changes over time that occur during the transition to parenthood.